Seminar Vol. 145

Title: The Jesuits and Chinese Science

Speaker: Chicheng Ma, The University of Hong Kong

Time: April 26th, 2019 13:30–14:45

Venue: Conference Room 106B, Zhonghui Building (IESR, JNU College of Economics)

About the speaker:

Chicheng Ma is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Hong Kong. Previously he was an Associate Professor at Shandong University. Chicheng Ma received his Ph.D. in Social Science from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2011. His main research interests are Economic History and Development Economics. Chicheng Ma's work has been published in such journals as Economica, Journal of Development Economics and Journal of Economic History.

Abstract:

Based on the historical context of the Jesuit mission to China between 1560 and 1820, this paper examines the role of knowledge diffusion in scientific production. To facilitate their China mission, the Jesuits introduced European sciences to Chinese cultural elites—the Confucian literati. This stimulated the literati toward scientific research. In places where the Jesuits diffused European sciences, the number of Chinese scientific works increased significantly. The finding questions the conventional wisdom that the Confucian literati of imperial China disparaged science, and demonstrates the importance of access to new knowledge in scientific progress.